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The pair have denied they're in a secret relationship after a photo shared on social media prompted speculation.

An innocent snap of the pair hugging led some to suggest the duo were secretly seeing one another, but they say they're just friends.

"I think things can be taken the wrong way...out of context," Brendan told The Sun newspaper. "People just presume.. 'oh look they are together.'"

Dalton added to the newspaper: "But I don't think they believe that. They just think it's a fun thing to do."

He added: "The thing is where I'm from there's a lot of toxic masculinity. I'm me and He's him. I don't know why we always sexualise everything. It is what it is, and we still are what we are."

Dalton recently took to social media to hit back at Twitter trolls ahead of the latest live show.

He shared a message which read: "If I didn’t know myself I would have been broken today by all the ignorance!”

Dalton went on: “I would have actually believed what you thought of me, good thing I know exactly who I am and I am far from broken. I mean it when I say you have your life to fix so stop wasting time trying to break someone else's.

"You cannot touch me mentally or in any other way. So believe me when I say I am not phased."

Dalton is the current hot favourite to win The X Factor 2018 having once again wowed the judges in this semi-final weekend.

However Brendan was eliminated from the show last night in a shock double exit alongside Danny Tetly.

Alongside Dalton, those left in the competition now are duo Acacia & Aaliyah, Scarlett Lee and Anthony Russell.